


Máthair

by SgtLeppard



Series: Fréamhacha [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Irish Keith (Voltron), Irish Krolia (Voltron), Korean Keith (Voltron), Season 5 Spoilers, minor but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 14:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13977417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtLeppard/pseuds/SgtLeppard
Summary: Keith is reunited with his mother, and he wants answers.





	Máthair

**Author's Note:**

> I intended to write this before S5 came out, but look what didn't happen. But hey, now that it's out, I actually know where to fucking go with this
> 
> Title is Irish for "mother"
> 
> Cookies for those who spot the ~~shameless~~ Fire Emblem reference :3c
> 
>  **EDIT:** A quick thing. I'm not a native Irish speaker by any means and have to use a translator. The best I can hope is that the translations are coming out solid enough so please let me know if something is off. Thanks so much guys!

There was nothing that could've prepared Keith for this. Thinking back to what she said and how she talked, he should've known. No other Galran spoke with an accent like that, at least that he was aware of. And now that he was paying more attention, he could see how much they looked alike. But even after all this time, it was still hard to believe.

Standing before him was his long lost mother, Bridget. But it didn't seem real.

"You're my...?"

Bridget nodded, then cocked her head a little. "I thought it was obvious." Christ, her accent was thicker than he ever imagined.

"Not really," Keith mumbled. So much was going through his head. He really needed to sit down.

"Well," Bridget said, sitting opposite him, "I know there must be a lot you want to say. Go ahead."

Keith ran a hand through his hair, chuckling in disbelief. Was this really happening? It was, but it was all sorts of strange. "Where do I even begin? Do you even have any idea how--" He sighed. "Why? Why did you leave?"

"Believe me, it's not a choice I'm proud of."

"Then why?"

"If you'll give me a minute, Keith." She really didn't anticipate how impatient her son could be, but she supposed it ran in the family. Jeez, her uncle never knew the meaning of the word 'patience'. "The reason I returned to Earth in the first place was because of an assignment. I'm sure you have an idea of what it was."

Keith's eyes widened. "The Blue Lion."

Bridget nodded. "We'd heard of the Red Lion being captured and knew they were closing in fast on the Yellow Lion, too fast for us to do anything about it. When we discovered the Blue Lion was next, I was sent to get it off the planet."

"Obviously that didn't work," Keith interrupted, remembering when he and the other Paladins first found Blue.

"True. I'd learned too late that the Lions choose their pilots, not the other way around," she continued. "So I instead stayed behind to ensure the Empire never got their hands on it. It wasn't long after I arrived that I met your father."

"What does this have to do with you leaving?"

"I'm getting there, now hush."

Keith rolled his eyes, mumbling, _"Tabhair sos dom..."_

 _"Mo mhac, d'fhás mé suas ag labhairt na Gaeilge_. _Níl tú ag amadán ar dhuine ar bith. Bí foighneach."_

Shit. _"Rinne mé dearmad faoi sin..."_

"In short," Bridget continued as if nothing happened, "one thing led to another, and five years later I found myself with... for all intents and purposes, a common law husband and a three year old son -- you -- out in the middle of the Arizona desert. The entire time, so long as I reported in to Kolivan, he didn't care how long I remained on Earth. After all, I was still doing what I was assigned to do, in a way." Her expression fell. "Then two years later, I was given the order to leave."

Wait, she was _ordered_ to leave? "What?"

"Kolivan determined that the Blue Lion was safe enough where it was," she explained. "So long as humanity didn't discover it, chances of it being found at all were slim to none. Given where it was, no ordinary human being was going to stumble upon it out of nowhere. If humans weren't going to find it, the Empire sure as hell wasn't."

Understanding dawned on Keith. "You left because you were ordered to, but you didn't want to?"

Bridget nodded, "Now you're getting it. I gave Callum the blade and said my goodbyes." She smiled sadly. "I'm glad he understood. He said he would give the blade to you when you were old enough to understand. How is he, by the way?"

Oof. "Um..."

Her smile fell. "What happened...?"

Keith sighed. "He died when I was seven. Cancer. Whatever all you hoped he'd tell me, he never got the chance to."

Bridget fell silent for a moment. "He was a good man, and an even better parent. You were his pride and joy."

Somehow, this didn't surprise Keith. What little he remembered of his dad before he died indicated that he loved his son a lot, even if it seemed he was too busy for him. There were times he wondered how different things would've been if he were alive today. Of course, he also wondered the same if his mother never left. It didn't matter now. Neither were present for the majority of his life, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

"So when you left," Keith began, breaking the silence that had fallen over them, "what happened then?"

She answered, "Kolivan assigned me to the post I was just at, and I hated it with a passion."

Keith smirked, "I take it you're happy it's over?"

"Oh, very," Bridget chuckled. "I had plans that as soon as this assignment was over, I was going straight back to Earth." The reasons why didn't need to be stated. "The excitement of being able to go home when the mission was over was pretty much all that kept me sane the entire time. I planned on taking you and Callum to Ireland to meet my family. You'd feel quite at home there, I think. Durrow's a very small town."

"How small?"

"About 800 people."

"That is pretty small."

Bridget hummed. "And plenty of countryside to see. The desert has its own views, certainly. To me, though, it doesn't compare to home."

Keith could understand that. Lance had said something similar when he compared the views of the Grand Canyon to that of his native Cuba. Home is where the heart is, after all. Keith never really took that much interest in the desert. Maybe that was why he felt so connected to a land he barely knew anything about. Something inside of him must've been longing for a place he could really call home. The Castle of Lions was the closest he had.

Gah, his brain wasn't making much sense. But maybe with his strong ties, it wouldn't be a bad thing to visit Ireland.

"Was there anything else?" Bridget asked.

Keith looked at the knife in his hands. There was something about her leaving it with his dad that bothered him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Why did you leave this behind? Of anything you could've left, you leave this. That doesn't make sense."

Bridget said nothing for a brief moment before finally answering. "There were two reasons why. The first I told you. The second," she smiled, "was a promise."

"A promise?"

"That I would come back, no matter how long it took." She then frowned. "I was ordered to leave, and at the time I felt it was for the best anyway. My presence there would only put you and Callum in danger. But as time went on, I realised... I could've stayed. I could've refused to take the mission, insist someone else do it. But I didn't. I left and... I..." She shifted her gaze away towards the cockpit, where the controls were set on autopilot. "Keith, I have very few regrets in life." She turned back to Keith, misty eyed. "That is my biggest. You deserved better from me than one blade and a universe of troubles, and I want to do what I can to make up for it. I understand that it won't be easy. All I ask for is a chance. I have no right to ask any more of you."

Keith felt torn. Yes, by all means, he had every right to be angry with this woman. He didn't owe her a damn thing. He could reject whatever it was she was offering in terms of parenting and not lose any sleep over it. He got this far in life without her around. He could certainly keep going if he wanted. Fuck sake, she was the reason he closed himself off from people. She left him. Doesn't matter why. He. Does. Not. Owe. Her. Shit.

He sighed, trying to think rationally. Yes, she left, but she made it clear she regretted it. She wanted to be a parent for him. In fact, she never stopped wanting that. She made a poor decision and has had to live with that.

He didn't have to even entertain the possibility. But that didn't mean he didn't want to at least try.

"Not exactly sure how well this would work in the middle of a fucking war," he said. "I guess we'll figure it out."

Bridget smiled. "Aye. That we will. Now I think it's best we get back to the base before Kolivan blows a gasket."

Keith returned to the cockpit, turning off the autopilot, and began to steer the ship towards the base. She was right. It won't be easy. There was a lot they had to learn about each other, and there were going to be arguments and boundaries overstepped and who knows what else. They might not even get along most of the time, if at all. But this was as good a start as any. Besides, with downs came ups. The only way to tell if this would be for better or worse was to see it through to the end, and they've only just begun.

"Oh yeah, there's one other thing."

"What is that?"

"Where the hell did 'Krolia' come from?"

"It's my middle name. Not many Galrans running around with an Earth name, you know."

"Figures."

**Author's Note:**

> Some things for the confused:
> 
> \- Keith's mom's full name is Bridget Krolia Molloy  
> \- She's half human half Galra  
> \- She speaks with a thick Irish accent  
> \- The town she grew up in, Durrow, is located in County Laois, Ireland, and it really is that small  
> \- She's elsewise the same as she is in the show  
> \- For the sake of this series, Keith's dad's name is Callum Kogane
> 
> Translations:
> 
>  **Tabhair sos dom.** \- _"Give me a break."_  
>  **Mo mhac, d'fhás mé suas ag labhairt na Gaeilge. Níl tú ag amadán ar dhuine ar bith. Bí foighneach.** \- _"My son, I grew up speaking Gaelic. You're not fooling anyone. Be patient."_  
>  **Rinne mé dearmad faoi sin...** \- _"I forgot about that."_


End file.
